Life in short
by Blonde Spirit
Summary: Written for a shuffle challenge. Another 5 added!
1. Chapter 1

Life in short.

Five drabbles in response to a challenge by Kore of Myth. As the challenge was to write them whilst listening to the song obviously they are short, and I apologise for mistakes and bad writing as they are the first things out of my head and onto the screen. The only thing I have done is run a spell check through them.

Inspiration. – Chicago – You're the inspiration – Harry and Ginny

Harry looked over to Ginny, and he realised why, why he had done all the things that he had just done. For a future, so _they_ _all _would have a future. He realised that had he died today it would have been with Ginny in his heart and mind. She was the inspiration behind him, the way she looked at him, they way she smiled at him. The fact that despite being told by every member of her family and himself to stay put, she hadn't. She'd followed and fought, for freedom, for them. For their unborn children. Harry shook his head, what the hell was he thinking? He was seventeen and Ginny even younger, they had plenty of time for family in the future.

The next few years were for them, getting to know each other and he knew that Ginny would always be his inspiration.

Motherhood – David Bowie – 'Oh', you pretty things - Molly Weasley

Molly Weasley stood amongst the chaos in her kitchen and sighed. She had roughly an hour before her brood surfaced and demanded food. And demand they would! Six boys took a lot of feeding, and Ginny was no lightweight when it came to eating either. Molly tried to feel grateful that all her children were under the same roof, but the reason gave her heart cause to twinge, her baby, even Bill was still her baby, was getting married.

She set about clearing the chaos that had been left from after she had gone to bed and preparing breakfast. It reminded her of when they were all at home still, children and young adults, trying hard not to be, but dependant on their mum still. It was hard work being a mother of so many children.

But as they came into the kitchen, sat one by one, or two in the case of the twins, she smiled in her heart. They all looked at her as she choked a sob down, her beautiful children were the future, they didn't belong to her anymore, they were the next generation, and she was so proud of them it made her heart burst. Yes, being the mother of seven children was hard and terrifying at times, yet she wouldn't have it any other way.

Marriage – Soft Cell – Tainted Love - Bellatrix and Rudolpho Lestrange

Rudolpho Lestrange looked at his wife with a mixture of disgust and lust. He knew as she wound herself around their master that he would reap the benefits of her undying passion of the Dark Lord later, that she would hurt him anew by making love to him with her body and to Tom Riddle with her mind.

That he loved her he knew, there was never any doubt in his mind. He had been crazy for her the first time he saw her, but Bellatrix had only agreed to marry him to try and enrage Lord Voldemort into action. It had not worked and she had gone through with her false promise. Rudolpho was disgusted with her, but more so with himself. He knew that he would never posses his beautiful Bella as he wanted to, _needed to_. But he was powerless against her, as she was against Voldemort. He had given her everything and it was never enough, because he was not Tom Riddle, and never would be.

Last Man Standing – Gold – Spandau Ballet The Marauders (James (I) Potter, Peter Pettgrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black)

Remus just sat with his head in his hands, remembering.

"_Another scrape we escaped!" Sirius crowed "We are indestructible!" A stupid boyhood declaration, yet so true at the time._

"_Indestructible!" agreed Remus._

"_The Marauders will live forever!" affirmed James "We believe in each other, and therein lies our power!"_

"_Marauders forever!" the four of them sang out together, high on another dangerous, yet successful prank. _

_Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and Prongs. The Marauders, what a life. _

And now he was the only one left. James long dead, Peter turned and Sirius gone forever, through the veil. Turns out they weren't indestructible after all.

Heart of Fire – Ash Burn Baby Burn – Charlie Weasley

Charlie buzzed, his body literally buzzed with excitement and fear. This was madness, stepping into a dragon's pen with only fire retardant clothing and a wand for protection. He caught sight of his reflection in the observation window, he hadn't slept for long enough and his eyes reflected that, that and the pain of loneliness and desperation. But the dragon breathed a fire jet at him and he forgot all that as he leapt out of the way, the sweet sensation of sheer euphoria ripped through him, this was what he lived for. A part of him remained in the coffin with his little brother yet being so close to death himself made him feel more alive than he had ever thought possible. He had long since accepted his penchant for danger, a Weasley trait apparently. He had considered letting the dragon take away all the pain, yet he wouldn't give up this feeling of elation at being a hairs breadth from a dragon that could take his life so easily. It would make him live, they were what made him whole.


	2. Chapter 2

**Life in short.**

This is in response to the shuffle challenge part two. This is harder than it looks so I've had to shall we say 'improvise' with a couple!

**21 Wands – Green Day – 21 Guns**

Harry looked out of his window at the scene below him, there was carnage everywhere he looked, dead and dying bodies of witches, wizards and beasts littered the historical grounds of Hogwarts. He wondered why he was hiding up here, away from everyone. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach every time he thought about Fred, and Remus, and Tonks. Just three people the he, personally would grieve over and miss terribly. He daren't even think about the others, he couldn't, not yet. This felt like the end of the road, he'd lost control as there was now nothing to focus on, nothing _to_ control. He watched as a group of people gathered beneath him, survivors on the side of light. He counted as the group grew larger:

Molly, Arthur and a stunned looking George gathered first, followed by Charlie, Ginny, Percy, Bill and Fleur. He watched as they hugged each other closely, tears staining their faces. Next came McGonagall, Hagrid still bleeding, Slughorn, Lee Jordan and Katie Bell. Harry felt guilty, they were probably wondering where he was, the one who had been at the centre of this death and destruction. He couldn't though, he just couldn't. He was in ruins right now; he had no where left to hide inside himself.

The numbers were further swelled by Seamus, Luna, Kingsley, Neville and Draco Malfoy. It seemed no one neither knew or cared that auror and death eater in training stood shoulder to shoulder right now; they were all at last on the same side. Lastly came Ron and Hermione, leaning heavily on each other, seeming as if they had been a couple forever, not thrown together amidst a fight for survival and friends before that.

Twenty people, Harry counted twenty people who were now looking to the heavens for some kind of explanation for this madness. It was time to live and let die Harry realised, and slowly he made his way to the group.

He stood among them, no longer the boy who lived, now he was the man who fought, along with everyone else. The group as one held their wands aloft and Harry followed suit, tears and pain still raged around them but as the twenty one wands were thrown into the sky, Harry realised that being in ruins meant they could repair and heal, and move on.

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**Return from Azkaban - Simple Minds – Alive and Kicking**

Sirius stood on the shore and shook, swimming was certainly easier in his animagus form, however, and he needed to feel this first bite of freedom as himself, as a human. He changed and breathed deeply, the smell of the sea was not foreign to him, Azkaban being where it was, amidst the North Sea, yet he knew that forever the salty tang of the sea and the earthy smell of sand would be his favourite and he would treasure this moment forever. Sirius threw his arms above him, he had escaped Azkaban and cold now avenge the deaths of his friends, and do as he vowed, take care of James's son, Harry.

But for now he was content to revel in the re awakened feeling of freedom. He took one last look over his shoulder, no Dementors came across the dark sea to return him and he returned to being Padfoot, travelling was faster and he was less likely to be spotted as a dog. Yet before setting off on his long journey Padfoot ran along the beach, in the spray of the sea, barking and cavorting wildly with sheer delight, chasing his tail and rolling in the sand. Sirius Black, Padfoot, Snuffles, it didn't matter what name he used, for the first time in years he was free!

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**Moonlit flit – Can't fight the moonlight – Leanne Rymes (I wonder who this one could be about!)**

_Song title used here, not the actual sentiment of the song!_

Remus checked the door again, throwing all his weight against it, hard. He wrenched and tugged at the handle, dug his fingers into the concrete under the door. It wasn't moving, nothing was giving. Remus sat on the floor, the daylight was fading outside and through the small but heavily barred window, he could see the moon starting to rise; not long now he thought. He paced the room again, restless and wanting to get the inevitable over with as soon as possible. His lips curled in a sardonic smile as he remembered the conversation he and Snuffles had overheard earlier. Two girls in their year were bemoaning the 'curse'. His keen werewolf hearing had honed in and they had crept closer, not daring to think that their may be another one of his kind at Hogwarts. Sadly the girls had been talking about their menstrual cycle, and Sirius had almost gagged at the detail, Remus had felt sad and angry at the same time. If girls thought that their monthly curse was bad, they should try _his_!

He tried the door again, stopping as he heard movement outside.

"Don't worry Moony!" came Prongs voice through the heavy door "The room is secure; we have no intention of being eaten!"

Despite himself Remus smiled, listening as Sirius piped in.

"We'll be here all night mate" he reassured "Let you out in the morning"

Remus sank onto the floor as the moon reached her peak, he was powerless and couldn't fight this, but thanks to some bloody good friends, it would be as painless and easy as possible. And after all, it was only until the other three had perfected their animagus magic, and then they would have the run of the Scottish Highlands!

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**Our young Bella - Queen -Killer Queen **

The signs were always there reflected Sirius; she'd always been the daring and opinionated one of them, even more so than himself. His cousin, his own damn cousin had tried to seduce him. That she had failed was of no comfort to him, he knew that he'd been tempted and that was enough for a young Sirius to be disgusted by himself. At first he'd not taken her seriously, a mistake as she was deadly serious. He'd never quite come to terms with the fact that she had been so close with Voldemort, his own natural need to see the best in people he supposed. Especially people he loved and he had loved Bella, his cousin Bella Black, not the wicked and twisted woman she had become, Bellatrix Lestrange. He'd loved her in the way a cousin loves a cousin, not the way a man loves a woman, and that's why he'd been so distraught when he'd felt himself tempted. He had watched her run rings around many a young and unsuspecting man in their youth, warping their minds and souls as she delved further and further into the dark side. At first it was funny to watch men fall at her feet, much as women fell at his. Yet as time wore on and he turned his back on his family, he wondered what made them take such opposite paths. That she would kill him so easily had shocked him as he fell through the veil, he had never thought that she would actually be able to go through with it. That she would find some shred of humanity and family love under the layers of evil that cloaked her. His last conscious thought as a man was that she was laughing at him, because she had killed him. He had underestimated her again, a mistake that he had paid for with his life.

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**Madame Hooch ~ The Goddess – Busted – What I go to school for (WTF?!)**

Oliver Wood watched her as she flew, he watched her as he flew, and he watched her as she ate, while he pretended to. This was way more than a crush he decided, he was in love. Those piercing blue eyes and lithe figure under her flying robes were enough to make a boy fall from his broom. Oliver watched her all the time, it was the reason he was so dedicated to Quidditch, so he could be nearer to her, have an excuse to talk to her.

He knew, he just _knew_ that one day she would fall into his arms, just like on those muggle movies he had watched over the summer. She would realise that she wanted him, and not the professional Quiddich player she was currently dating. Oliver felt slightly uncomfortable at how this knowledge had been acquired, yet the means justified the end, now he knew what he was up against.

One day he would have her, each time she looked at him, smiled at him, he knew that one day, he would win her over. His friends who laughed now would be laughing on the other side of their faces then!

He finished packing his trunk and set off for his last year at Hogwarts, and for a year of Professor Hooch, that's what he went to school for after all.

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Ok, so I've made Oliver Wood sound like a complete stalker on that last one, sorry Woody fans, it just fitted in with the song!


	3. Chapter 3

**Someone like you.**

_Inspired by The Kings of Leon song 'Use Somebody' (and a life long affliction with clumsiness) _

Remus Lupin sat with his head in his hands, he needed something, no, he needed someone.

"Someone like you" he whispered as Tonks floated by, barely noticing anyone as she focussed on not falling flat on her face, as she often did.

Remus had noticed that her clumsiness made her embarrassed, it made some people laugh outright at her, it made some people laugh fondly at her, and it made some people frustrated with her. It made Remus love her more, not because of the actual 'accidents' she had, but the way she dealt with them. She laughed with those who laughed and she appeared contrite and apologetic to those who were annoyed. She seemed to know instinctively which attitude to take with whom. Remus was sure that he was the only one, who picked up on her frustration and despair underneath the smiling or contrite exterior, and he wanted to tell her that it was ok; it really didn't matter to him. Unless she was hurt, that killed him to see her in pain. It tore him apart to see her face fall just slightly each time she broke something, or bumped into someone, right before she put her cover up and rolled with the reaction. He wanted to yell to people to see past it, that she wasn't Tonks 'the clumsy one'; she was Tonks 'the auror', or Tonks 'the loyal friend' or Tonks 'the beautiful one'.

Remus caught himself looking at her, she was kind and loving to those she cared for, and he wanted desperately to be one of those people. She was always quiet and shy in his presence, they didn't know each other so well on the surface, yet a few evenings on missions together had seen them get on very well, and Remus's heavy heart held hope still; until the next time he saw her and she was quietly polite to him, no more than a fellow order member. What would she want with someone like him anyway? A mangy old werewolf? He was old; he felt a hundred years old, and realised that sometimes he looked it too. Gone was the time in his life where his absent minded scruffiness had added to his charm, now he was just a down at heel man of a certain age with dark and brooding secrets. He moved from the Kitchen at Grimmauld Place, searching for something he would never find, inner peace.

He didn't hear Tonks enter the library where he paced around.

"Are you ok Remus?" he jumped and whirled around, halting the smile that instinctively smoothed his lined face.

"I'm just ah…" he stopped, what could he say? That he was pacing like the caged wolf because he was falling for a woman that could never be interested in someone like him? That _shouldn't_ be interested in someone like him. That he needed someone to comfort him, to hold him? That even he, the ever sensible and reasonable Remus Lupin felt anything but when he thought of her? No, he decided, he could never tell her that.

"Just looking" he finished lamely.

"What for?" Tonks questioned him with her head on one side, her eyes meeting his shyly.

What for indeed he thought.

"TONKS!" Molly's voice saved him the need to answer as Tonks smiled apologetically and turned to leave.

"Wonder what they want me for now?" she quipped "I'm glad to be of some use though, someone like me"

Remus watched her departing figure with a clenched jaw to stop himself yelling after her the thoughts that invaded his mind.

"I could use someone like you" he whispered through white lips before sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.

**China**

_Inspired by T'pau – China in your hand._

Bill Weasley was amazed, totally wiped out. This woman that he loved and adored loved him back, this beautiful and intelligent woman. He watched her sleeping peacefully next to him and recalled the conversation that had transpired earlier in the day.

Fleur had told him she was pregnant, they were going to have a baby. Him, Bill Weasley, scarred deeper than flesh, was going to be a father, and this wonderful woman, his _wife_ (he still couldn't believe that bit!) was going to be a mother. It was almost too much, almost.

He had vowed to take care of her forever, of the baby for longer than forever. He'd not let her lift anything heavier than a cup for the rest of the day.

"Bill I will not break!" she had laughingly protested.

But Bill treated her like she would like she was precious, because she was like china in his hand, if he squeezed too tight she might just break into a million pieces.

**Walking**

_Inspired by Genesis – I can't dance._

Fred Weasley looked in the mirror; it could have been George looking back at him. He had tried every conceivable way to make himself different to his twin, quite a feat really for identical twins. They talked the same, looked the same, danced the same (or rather couldn't dance in the same type of way). No matter what he wore – and again it was hard to look different as they had identical wardrobes, he could still have been George. He tried to train his hair into a different style, but stubborn Weasley hair did as it wanted, not as it was told (rather like it's owner).

Fred sighed and perched on the window ledge of the dorm room, with the window slightly open he could hear a ruckus from below, no doubt George was at the bottom of it, and he was too. Fred watched him walk ahead of a group of laughing students, he suddenly sat up straighter, that was it! He could walk differently to George, if he perfected a 'walk' that was all his own he could be an individual at last! Fred studied the way George walked closely, and positioned himself in front of the mirror to practise his individuality.

**Never have to be alone.**

_Inspired by Ultrabeat – pretty green eyes_

James didn't care that Sirius thought he was being stupid, that he could have any girl he wanted. He wanted Lily, and she wasn't any girl.

He prowled around the dance floor as the music pulsed around them. Professors stood with sour faces and pained expressions as the students danced in front of them. Sirius was secreted behind a curtain with his latest conquest, Remus was standing looking as if he agreed with the professors about the music and Peter was slumped in a corner, probably from the punch that James and Sirius had spiked with fire whiskey. James was alone, many a girl gave him a longing look but he wanted only one, the one who studiously ignored him.

James watched Lily with attention that bordered on obsession, he watched as her hair moved with the sway of her body, as he lips curved in that wonderful smile, and as he eyes reflected the lights in the hall. Oh those eyes, he would kill to have them look at him with more than the usual disgust and derision. So green and they were just perfect for her. James had heard that the eyes were the windows to the soul, yet never had he believed it until he fell for Lily Evans.

James laughed to himself as he thought this; Sirius would really think he'd taken leave of his senses if he admitted that! But Sirius didn't understand what those eyes did to him. If those eyes would just look at him, he'd never feel alone again.

**Survive**

_Inspired by Duran Duran – Ordinary World_

Hermione dried her tears, for the last time over Ron 'bloody' Weasley, as she now thought of him. He didn't deserve her tears; he had walked out on them, done a bunk. She'd screamed after him, begged and he'd carried on. Sod him.

She had a duty to perform that was so much bigger than all that, she had to find it within herself to make sure she and Harry survived and could make it back to the ordinary world in one piece. Of course they had to find and destroy the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort and a band of death eaters first….

But she had to be strong, she could not mope around crying over what had been and what could have been, it would hamper their efforts. She had to forget yesterday when there had been the three of them in on this, now there were two. Harry was needed by the wizarding world; it would go one way or the other. When he and Tom Riddle finally met, the fight would only leave one standing. Hermione needed to keep Harry alive long enough to see that through. She shied away from what it would mean if Harry lost, not just for the wizarding world but for her personally. Now Ron had gone, if Harry died she would be alone, three reduced to one. But Hermione could not think of that now, somehow she had to find her way through this.


End file.
